Biscrostata, the recipe for the cake that thinks it’s a crostata, but which is nothing more than a collection of cookies — the occhi di bue (jam sandwich cookies) — shaped and cut to create a very decorative pattern. To make this cake you will need molds for bis-crostata or biscotorte; you can find them online, or alternatively make cardboard templates or, to keep things simple, make a Nutella occhi di bue crostata or a pistachio occhi di bue crostata.
Let’s go to the kitchen and see how to make the dough for a biscotorta, but first a quick reminder: if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here)!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make 2 biscrostatas or many occhi di bue cookies
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 1/3 cups butter (cold)
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 packet vanillin (vanilla flavoring)
- to taste lemon zest (organic)
- to taste hazelnut spread
Tools
- Molds
- Baking sheet
Preparation
Place the flour and the cold butter cut into pieces in the blender bowl, or work on the pastry board as I did. Blend or work until you obtain a sandy mixture; do not warm it at all. Gather it on the pastry board, make a well and add the sugar and the egg. Beat the sugar and the egg with a fork to dissolve it a little, add the salt, the vanilla essence and the lemon zest, then knead quickly until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough. Do not overheat it; wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After the resting time, work the dough for a couple of minutes to make it pliable, roll it out into a sheet about 1/4 inch thick (≈0.2 in) and cut the cookies following the video (you can buy biscotorta cutters online or use paper templates, or simply make traditional occhi di bue cookies). Bake at 338°F (convection) until the surface of the cookie appears matte, which will take about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from the oven and do not touch the cookies until they are completely cold; indeed, when hot they will be soft and very fragile, practically impossible to handle.
Once they are lukewarm you can assemble the pairs, filling the whole base with pistachio or hazelnut spread or with jam or preserves and placing the part with the hole on top.
If you like, you can also add a little pistachio or hazelnut meal for finishing.
Storage notes and tips
If you have time, letting the cookies rest in the fridge for half an hour before baking will prevent them from losing their shape. Store the cookies in a pastry box or under a glass dome; they will keep well for several days.
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